Restaurant tagged posts

So how can you promote a restaurant online? Before I begin, you could maybe consider a couple of the following points to convert those web visitors into bookings:

Is there something special you can ‘push’ about your restaurant?
Are you able to offer discounts on orders found from the web?

You will need to decide which keywords you wish to be coming up for in searches. For example, ‘Italian restaurant’ is going to be far too vague if you’ve only got one premises. Maybe ‘Italian restaurant Sussex’ may be more fitting. (The county appended to the end is a commonly used search for local businesses). Of course, if you’re a national business, then you may wish to be appearing at the top for ‘Italian restaurant’. OK, let’s say for arguments sake you chose ‘Italian restaurant’ as your main search term. In reality, you would usually choose two or three keywords. Search engine optimisation is a term for collectively carrying out the following tasks, to get to the top for your chosen search term may however require working harder than some other keywords depending on the competition. This next stage is divided into two stages, on-site and off-site optimisation. This is by no means a comprehensive list but should get you off the ground at least.

On-Site Optimisation

OK, I’m going to summarise with bullet points here – in the previous example of ‘italian restaurant’ on-site optimisation would involve:
Sufficient use of H1 tags – with the keyword ‘italian restaurant’ in there. (Basically you want a relative heading which makes use of H1)
Ensuring the webpages load quickly – even it todays modern era – if it’s taking too long, the Googlebot will leave without indexing any further.
Create a page specifically for the term ‘italian restaurant’ with ‘italian-restaurant’ in the url. It might be index.php?p=Italian-restaurant, it might be Italian-restaurant.html depending on your setup.

Now with some good thinking, fill the Italian-restaurant page with plenty of text about Italian restaurants. Obviously as a business, I expect you don’t want to publicise other businesses – so why not do a page on the history of Italian restaurants?

Off-Site Optimisation

Now comes the tricky part! Google gives each webpage a value, for the purposes of example, let’s say your rank value is 1, your opponents rank value is 4. If you’re both competing for the same keyword, your opponent will rank higher as they’ve got a higher rank value for that keyword. To increase this rank value for your site, you need to build links to your website from relevant websites. Surprisingly, this process has been given the term ‘link building’. So how do you build links? Today, I will just explain the legitimate, what we call ‘White Hat’ techniques for building links to your site.

Setup a signature link on any forums you post on.
Submit yourself to as many web directories (manually – avoid auto submissions).
Find ‘eat out guides’ and submit yourself to as many as possible.
Find review sites, submit yourself for a review.
If you regularly visit blogs always leave a comment with your URL.

One last thing to note – when you’re building links try to always include the term ‘Italian Restaurant’ in your anchor text. For example, this may involve submitting yourself to directories with the name of ‘Angelos Italian Restaurant’ in order for you to get the relevant anchor text. Something irrelevant such as ‘Web Design Sussex‘ is not going to get your ranked for your chosen keywords. Remember – with blogs, only comment if you feel you can add something of value to the discussion – and at least read the blog – that is somebody’s website so don’t be rude!

So there it is – some site promotion tips, this should be enough to get you started at least. I wish you much luck in the promotion of your business.

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Important Tips On Setting Up A Restaurant Bar Successfully For Beginner Or Experienced Restaurant Owner

Are you thinking about setting up a restaurant bar? There is a long list of issues that you have to take into consideration. Right from the size of the restaurant bar, to theme, liquor license etc. these are some of the issues that can affect the success of setting it up successfully. There are some bars that have a full or a limited bar menu. Then other restaurants follow a “happy hour” methodology to get the most for their business. If you want to open a successful full service restaurant & bar then you will have to take the following things into consideration.

It is not very difficult kind of a project and can be accomplished easily. The average time can range anywhere from 6 to 8 weeks, it depends on the bar specification’s that you have.

Before beginning on deciding anything or even setting up a restaurant bar, you must read your liquor license agreement. There are licenses that permit a restaurant to hold all kind of liquor inn their bar but some licenses only permit particular type of liquor. If you are serving all kinds of liquor then you will have to map the area accordingly.

Before you start constructing or break down a building, take exact measurements of the floor area that you will need to set up a restaurant. Take the help of an architect and an interior designer for this purpose.

You will be constructing both bar and restaurant, you need to see whether you want to keep both the areas separate or not. You would also want to find the best place to set up a bar. Remember that a bar has dual functionality. This is the area for the second waiting staff. For the staff, a bar in the center of the dining room is an excellent choice. This is also best during a rush at dinner time. But, you could opt for a more personal and intimate setting and make a lounge like area while setting up a restaurant bar. This will prevent the hustle and bustle of the normal day life and will also allow the customers to de-stress.

Your bar must always be well stocked with enough liquor, good and appropriate glasses and other equipments. The other equipments like ice bins, glass racks, fridges, coasters, bar stools and dispensers. All these equipments must match the theme and decor of your restaurant. If you have the right decor when setting up a restaurant bar then you will set a proper mood for your guests.

The lighting of your restaurant must also match the theme and decor. For example if you are setting up a restaurant bar around the lounge theme. Then a low setting of lights is recommended. If you have too bright light then it will be too harsh on your customers. The light should be appropriate and one should be able to read the menu card properly.

These were some suggestions to help you set up your restaurant bar successfully!

If you would like to learn more about setting up a restaurant successfully and avoid costly mistakes, please visit:

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Coral Reef RestaurantImage by Richo.Fan
At the Living Seas in EPCOT – Great food and the live entertainment is a huge aquarium that extends the length of one wall of the restaurant. The restaurant provided a 1-page laminated guide to help the kids identify some of the marine life. Highly recommended for couples or families.

American Wine & Food Festival: The Cosmopolitan’s Restaurant Partners Setting UpImage by The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
The Cosmopolitan’s restaurant partners setting up at their stations for the American Wine and Food Festival (AWFF).

The Cosmopolitan team was in Los Angeles on Saturday, September 25, 2010 for the American Wine and Food Festival (AWFF). The event, which is organized by Wolfgang Puck and benefits Meals on Wheels, is in its 28th year and was held at the Universal Studios Backlot. It’s "an epicurean feast prepared by world-renowned chefs, superb libations including fine wines and smooth spirits," according to the AWFF website.

The Cosmopolitan’s diverse collection of culinary partners and chefs were there providing a taste of what awaits guests when their restaurants open in December at The Cosmopolitan. The sample tastings we’re all superbly delicious!

At AWFF, The Cosmopolitan team had the opportunity to interview the chefs and will be sharing those interviews in the coming weeks on The Cosmopolitan’s Facebook and YouTube channels.

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How To Open A Restaurant – Avoid These Common And Simple Mistakes Made By Most New Restaurant Owners

Do you know why most restaurants fail? The reason is that they believe if the food is good, success will just be a step away. This is a wring concept and most people are misguided by thinking this way. Now, you are a little excited about opening your own restaurant, but in all this excitement, do not forget to make a reality check on your complete project. You do have a good vision to succeed but do you have a clue about how to open a restaurant? No, you do not have a correct understanding about the real business that gets into opening a restaurant. This lack of understanding will make you a complete failure in your attempt; if you want to succeed then read on to avoid the common mistakes.

A particular saying in the business world is that you must have 3 important things for your business they are location, location and location. It is true that a good location is a great investment and boon for any business, but that alone is not a guarantee of your success. Do you know that there are a lot of restaurant in “not so great places” that are a huge success. Location is a big factor but it is not the only factor that you should consider while opening a restaurant. The poor business practice can also lead to the downfall of a restaurant and I am sure you would want to avoid it.

Another common mistake that most people do when thinking about how to open a restaurant is that they fail to draw a fair cost for each recipe placed on menu. The problem here is that they do not draw a fair cost of every recipe and then chalk out the basic charges on the items. These people set the prices of the items on the gut feeling and what they believe that the customers would shell out. These kinds of restaurateurs do not know the actual cost of the items on their menu.

You have to first look at the budget of the restaurant; you will be amazed to see the amount spend on the food. This is what you will have to control and if you are unable to control this aspect of your business then your business is traveling down the wrong path. If you want to be successful about how to open a restaurant then you will have to price your food items on the menu correctly. The pricing should be moderate and must also help you earn profits. The key here is to avoid setting high prices.

The last problem is customer service. Yes, this is also the biggest problem of the restaurant industry today. You must know that you will not be able to make everybody happy. There will always be people who complain about a certain recipe, while others might tell you that this is the prize winning recipe of your restaurant. Always remember that your customers are the breath of life of your restaurant. They are the reason why on the first place you are thinking about how to open a restaurant.

Keep these simple issues in mind when you are thinking about how to open a restaurant!

Recently, a chef called me on the telephone and posed a question: “When is the correct time to remove a plate after a customer is finished eating?” The chef who asked me the initial question had been sitting at the bar of his restaurant watching the dining room service on his off hours. There were three people at the table, one person had completely finished the plate of food, but the other two customers were still eating their plates of food. The chef felt that the “one finished plate” should have been cleared immediately by one of the busssers or waitstaff.

His inquiry was a simple restaurant dining room service question (quite legitimate) that may actually have more than one answer. It depends on the the restaurant’s “level of service,” the “situation at the hand”, and/or what the customer desires “at the moment.” Certainly in any restaurant service situation, before clearing a plate, the staffer obviously must wait until the customer is finished eating from their plate.

Whether it is a completely empty plate in front of the customer, or if the customer has placed their knife and fork side by side in the middle of the plate, or if the customer hasn’t touched their food in 20 minutes, the staffer must make the proper decision to clear the plate or not.

But to really answer this question in full detail, I had to ask some preliminary questions of my own, as consultants often do, especially about the desired level of service in the restaurant: Were there white tablecloths covering the tables? Was the floor completely rugged? What are some expensive items on the menu?

After receiving the some answers, I concluded that, yes, it was a fine dining restaurant. Therefore, my immediate answer to the chef’s question was to wait until all of the customers are completely finished eating, then start the process of clearing. In most cases for a fine dining restaurant, if the one plate only was cleared while the other two customers were still eating, all three customers might have been offended thinking that they are being rushed out of the restaurant.

That is the “book” rule, yet a few more points must be added to this answer. What about the “situation at hand?” What about the customer needs “at the moment?”

The answers may actually warrant the act of clearing that “one finished plate” immediately. What if the customer had a train to catch and wanted to leave the restaurant quickly before the other two parties sitting with him/her? What if the customer asked to have the plate cleared? What if the customer, who had finished eating, put the credit card on the table wanting to pay and leave the restaurant quickly?

A big empty plate may get in the way of the customer signing the credit card receipt or counting out the correct amount of cash to pay the check. Even worse, the dirty plate may soil the customer’s sleeve with an accidental sideswipe of the plate. In this instance, “by using common sense,” the staffer can ask the customer: “May I remove your plate?”

In a casual dining restaurant service situation, where the plates are enormous (and sometimes way too big for the tables), removing the plates ahead of time as customers may be the norm. There may be no other way to get the clearing job done before an enormous entrée course arrives.

The main point is that there are always “standard rules of restaurant dining room service.” But occasionally, the servers and bussers must use “common sense at the moment” to get the job done safely, cleanly and efficiently. Again, one must always politely ask before removing a plate as nothing could be more rude than trying to clear a plate while the customer is still enjoying it. But, unfortunately, this problems does occur with careless restaurant service.

This situation is the “grey area” of customer service which should be taken very seriously and discussed in every restaurant staff training class. Since restaurants are essentially a people business, there is truly an infinite number of situations that can occur. The trick is to anticipate the customer’s and the pro-act in the hope that the end result will be a very pleased and satisfied customer.

Richard Saporito has been a restaurant consultant for over 15 years in manydiverse and profitable establishments. He helps owners, managers, and diningroom staffs achieve that outstanding service reputation which always sets arestaurant apart from its fierce competition. Discover how to improve dining room service and increase your restaurant’s business by visiting:http://www.howtoimprovediningroomservice.com

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To a lot of the natives of New York they believe that their town owns some of the very best restaurants anywhere in America. Where else can you go to get a wide variety of different foods from all different types of ethnic backgrounds? With one of the largest populations in America New York is a hub of different regions and cultures. There is one thing that you will never have to worry about here in New York and that is going hungry.

Most of the New York patrons are fairly picky when it comes to choosing different types of restaurants. Although a restaurant may be hip and popular one week it does not mean that it will be the same way the next. Due to this fact you need to be sure that you are checking the various websites or even call ahead to be sure that you are getting all the latest restaurants on all of the hottest websites. However due to the rough economic times America is facing today the restaurant world in New York is becoming bleak.

If you happen to be a first time visitor to New York you may actually feel like the food there is actually quite expensive. However, one thing that you may not consider is the fact that the value is well worth the price. This is especially true if you are willing to try some of the various ethnic restaurants that can be found throughout New York. Also if you take the time to venture beyond the hot tourist spots you will find some great restaurants at a lower cost than what you may of spent otherwise.

Also if you are looking at wanting to eat at one of the more popular restaurants within New York you are going to want to be sure that you take the time to make a reservation. Be sure that you always call ahead to get the best possible seating and avoid long wait times for tables. Your best bet would be to call at least two days before your scheduled dinner date.

If you know of a special date such as a birthday or anniversary coming then you need to schedule well in advance. Also if you are looking at holding a holiday dinner at your favorite New York restaurant you will want to be sure that you are scheduling at least 30 days before the date.

If you have not taken the time to create a reservation you are still fine if you are not going to your favorite restaurant at their peek times. Find out what times your restaurant is the busiest and plan your meal before or after those times.

There are a variety of different factors that you want to consider when you are searching for a great New York restaurant. With all the different cultures contained in this big apple you will find a restaurant to fit any type of appetite that you may have.

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What you buy is what you present at your restaurant. Therefore, while buying restaurant supplies you should have only one guideline in mind: how would you prefer to be served in a restaurant of your standards? If you put yourself in the position of a customer you will realize why some of them are overtly picky about the cutlery, napkin, plates or even the floral decoration on the table.

Restaurant Dining

People come to restaurants to enjoy a meal that is a change from the routine meals that they have in their life otherwise. Sometimes it becomes important to do something different from the mundane packed lunches at work and the same home made food for dinner. Therefore, restaurants provide a refreshing and welcoming culinary experience to customers.

Therefore, you must pay great attention to the color and texture of the napkins that will go on the table beside the plate. You must choose the cutlery carefully so as to match it with the theme and ambience of your restaurant as well as making it practical for your customers to use. There is no point buying heavy silver tableware that will be too heavy for your poor diners to pick up and eat with!

The Indispensable Rulebook

The tablecloth should not have any wine stains from last night’s business. If the need arises then replace the tablecloth altogether from your stock with a new one. For these emergencies you must also buy a few extra pieces of such supplies.

The service must be prompt. This should begin with the waiter spotting a new customer coming into the restaurant and looking for a table. He or she should be ushered in, and helped to be seated comfortably. The alcohol list should be provided immediately, shortly after which the food menu should arrive. There should be someone ready to take the order. This someone must be well versed with all the items on every menu. Customers sometimes have a hard time pronouncing certain dishes, or they may simply speak unclearly. The person taking the order must be competent enough to recognize the item as soon as it is uttered.

Even if yours is a fine dining restaurant try to serve the food as soon as possible. No one likes waiting for half an hour at a restaurant listening to the clanging of cutlery at other tables as fellow diners enjoy their meals while he waits for his to arrive.

Keeping Track of Supplies

Equipment such as microwaves, ovens, refrigerators, freezing rooms, burners and fuel are essential to run a restaurant. You must make sure that each of them meets the standard parameters that every restaurant in the country is supposed to.

Cleaning agents and storing solutions are very important and must be bought in bulk to make sure that the restaurant never runs out of it. However, any product that has a limited shelf and is likely to perish if not used within the stipulated time after manufacture must be kept track of.

Since many supplies in a restaurant are constantly changing in their stock the inventory must be kept very carefully to control costs and prevent leakages.

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Find restaurant expansion generally refers to business owners looking for financing to expand their existing restaurant. Businesses choose to add new restaurant locations when they experience a steady increase in profits and want to attract more customers. There are many financing resources available to expanding businesses.

If a business already has most of the funds it needs for restaurant expansion, but still needs additional financing, it may turn to factoring. Factoring allows a business to sell its accounts receivables at a discount to another company, called a factor. Factors require businesses to process credit card orders. Factoring is not considered a loan, and, depending on the factor, a business can obtain hundreds of thousands of dollars within a week’s time.

Another way to find restaurant expansion financing is to obtain a construction loan from a lending institution or construction company. Lenders usually require personal and business financial documents to assess the risk posed by a business. The higher the risk, the less likely a business will obtain the loan it needs. Construction companies may also offer financing that only requires a down payment and collateral to secure the loan. These companies generally provide better loan terms and interest rates than traditional lenders. One benefit of construction company financing is no payments until the construction is completed. Like with any financing option, the loan amounts, interest rates, and repayment plans vary by lender and by the applicant’s financial history.

Find restaurant financing generally refers to a potential business owner looking for funding sources for a new restaurant business. Once an individual has an idea of what kind of restaurant he or she wants to buy, funding that purchase is the next step. Restaurant financing is not much different from other business financing. Start-up business owners usually have some difficulty securing funds from traditional lenders, such as banks. Therefore, they look to other financial resources, including the Small Business Administration (SBA), private investors, non-traditional lenders, and many others.

The SBA’s 7(a) loan is available to small business owners who have been denied traditional loans and who have proof of ability to repay the loan. The SBA generally defines a small business as employing fewer than one hundred employees, and their loan funding is available for most business purposes, including restaurant financing.

Another way to find restaurant financing is to consult a private investor. In exchange for large sums of funding, private investors usually ask for a certain percentage of the business’s profits or to have a voice in business decisions. It’s important for business owners to find investors who provide equity, not debt. Debt means that the owner would have to pay interest on all or part of the amount invested.

Business owners may also look to financing from the restaurant’s current owner in order to find restaurant financing. When a seller is willing to finance a restaurant purchase, it shows that he or she is confident in the profitability of the business.

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Getting all necessary appliances for your restaurant involves considerable investment. As a restaurant owner, buying restaurant supplies online is a wise decision since you stand to benefit in terms of time and expenses. Buying online is hassle-free and not as expensive or time consuming as buying from local stores.

Shop Online for Your Choicest Restaurant Supplies

Online purchasing provides more freedom for making proper product selection. Online restaurant supply stores offer a huge choice of restaurant supplies required for the successful running of a restaurant. From apparels, catering supplies and kitchen supplies to containers and thank you bags, everything in your checklist for restaurant supplies can be purchased online today. If you have any preferences regarding the brands you are using, there are also possibilities open for you to select your choicest product brands.

Convenience of Online Shopping Carts

Buying restaurant supplies online gives you the convenience to make direct purchases. Your credit cards are more than enough to buy the products you need from these stores. Restaurant supplies are categorized according to the features, brands and names. This helps you to make easy selection of products after comparing the prices and features of the products listed in their database. Selected products can be conveniently added to your online shopping cart, and billing will be made accordingly.

Save on Expenses

Online shopping is one of the best means to save on your expenses. Whether you need big restaurant equipment or smaller quantities of paper products, kitchen cookware, tableware, pizza supplies or bakery supplies, everything can be purchased online with minimal investment. For bulk purchases, almost all online stores offer products at wholesale rates. Therefore, you need only low overheads to buy restaurant supplies online.

Get Guaranteed Products

What is great about online shopping is that it gives you round-the-clock shopping convenience. If you are looking to buy restaurant supplies online, find a supplier who can deliver you the best products in the market. There are many reputable suppliers offering full guarantee and free shipping for the ordered products.